


The Days Passed

by Kittens



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Animal Attack, Camping, Getting Back Together, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-22 05:48:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19661083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittens/pseuds/Kittens
Summary: Kylo orders Hux to join him on a mission. Hux is not happy about it.





	The Days Passed

**Author's Note:**

> For the KyluxXOXO summer fest! I was gonna do wild/tent/sleep but I think I might have covered the whole board here.

“I still don’t understand why my presence was required on this mission.”

Kylo didn’t respond. Hux had been complaining ever since he had told him that he would have to leave the ship for a mission. He only protested more when he realized it would be just the two of them. Kylo had listened to his complaints and had avoided him before they had left so he wouldn’t tell Hux the truth, which was that he was completely unnecessary. 

The only reason Kylo had ordered Hux to come along was because he didn’t want to go alone. Hux had not been his first choice in a companion, but his Knights were unavailable. He could have brought along anyone else, but the other officers were too scared of him to make good companions. And if Kylo was honest with himself, he did like Hux’s company. At least, he did when he wasn’t complaining.

“Are you even listening to me, Ren?”

“Why would I listen to you when all you do is complain?”

“I wouldn’t complain if you would tell me anything about what we’re doing here. There’s no reason for secrecy now. There’s no one on this planet for me to talk to. What’s our objective?”

Kylo didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he thought about how far they were from the shutte and how likely Hux was to walk back on his own if he realized the truth. He decided he most likely would at least try to leave, which meant Kylo had to be careful about what he said.

“There’s an ancient Sith temple up this mountain,” he said. “Supposedly holding a powerful artifact. With it, we can finally crush the Resistance and anyone else who stands in our way.”

“We could do that if we spent the credits on repairing our fleet,” Hux grumbled. “So why did you need me to go to a Sith temple? I can’t possibly be of any use to you there.”

That was the question Kylo expected him to ask and he didn’t have an answer. Instead he remained silent and continued on his way up the mountainside. He heard Hux demanding he answer him, and finally, he stopped and turned to face him.

“We can waste time on a very long explanation and be on this planet longer than necessary,” Kylo said, “or you can shut up and we can be done with this sooner.”

“You can’t talk and walk at the same time?”

“I need to concentrate to find this temple. Or we’ll be wandering around this mountain for a very long time.”

That seemed to do the trick, as Hux fell silent and followed him as they continued to make their way up the mountain. They did have some tree cover at the moment, which gave them some relief from the sun. Kylo was grateful for that as he wore his regular robes, which were almost too heavy to be wearing in the heat. At least Hux had left his uniform behind and put on field gear, so he had one less thing to complain about.

“How much longer until you locate it?” Hux asked after a while. They had just about left the forest and were starting to get into more open territory, but there were still a few trees overhead.

“It’ll be sometime tomorrow,” Kylo said. “We’re not that close yet.”

“Tomorrow? Ren, why didn’t you land the shuttle closer if it was this far away?”

“There’s no way for the shuttle to get any closer,” Kylo said, not bothering to explain any further. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway, because Hux had found his new thing to complain about.

“It’s bad enough we’re walking around out here, but now you tell me we’ll be spending the night on this planet? We will at least be returning to the shuttle for the night, won’t we?”

Kylo looked at Hux and then up towards the sky. Hux must not have been paying much attention. They’d been travelling in the same direction - heading up the mountain. He knew it was going to be a mission that required spending the night outside, which wasn’t a big deal for Kylo and he had prepared for it. But sleeping outdoors was not something Hux was used to. Kylo wondered if he’d had to do it since his days as a cadet.

The lack of an answer from Kylo was enough to set Hux off, now complaining about how he wasn’t prepared to camp. Kylo ignored him and let him talk. Every now and then, Kylo heard a few words. When he was finally fell silent, Kylo spoke up.

“I packed everything we’ll need,” he said. “We have a tent, water, and plenty of rations. We could make it a week out here. Longer if we find a food source.”

“What else is in this pack?”

Kylo looked at Hux and saw he had stopped and had started to open his pack, but Kylo grabbed him with the Force and started dragging him along. He protested, of course, but eventually he got the idea and started walking along with him.

“We don’t have time for that,” Kylo said. “You should have checked on the shuttle if you really cared.”

“You didn’t tell me we were carrying supplies until we walked out of the shuttle.”

“The packs were sitting in plain view. You could have figured it out.”

As they started to lose daylight, Kylo stopped worry so much about finding the best path up the mountain and began looking for a good place to spend the night. They were now fully out in the open in rocky terrain. It wasn’t so steep that it was difficult to climb up, but Kylo didn’t want to put the tent on a slope and there didn’t seem to be many flat areas large enough for the tent. 

Once they made it to an area where the terrain levelled out, Kylo stopped and put his pack on the ground. He’d packed most of the water and the tent in his pack, leaving Hux with a lighter load to carry. It was the least he could do after making Hux come along on the trip.

He handed Hux a bottle of water and then he turned his attention to the tent. It was a rather small tent, but it was designed to be lightweight, not take up room, and be easy to set up. With the Force, it was even easier for Kylo. When he had the tent set up, he turned back to Hux and saw he had finished the entire bottle of water and was going through his own pack.

“We might need to make this last,” Kylo told him as Hux pulled out a nutrient bar. “I haven’t seen a source of water.”

“I’ve had to spend the entire day with you and you haven’t so much stopped for a break,” Hux responded. “I’m thirsty and hungry.”

“You didn’t say you needed a break.” Kylo was used to long days of physical activity. He should have realized Hux was not in the same condition. From the glare Hux gave him as he ate his nutrition bar, Kylo knew he was in for an argument as soon as he finished eating. But maybe he could avoid that if he changed the subject. “I think we’re near the temple entrance.”

“Why don’t we go there now?” Hux asked as he finished eating.

“It’s too dark,” he said. “I’m not wandering around unfamiliar terrain in the dark.”

“Now you take safety in mind,” Hux grumbled. “Well, I suppose I might as well get some sleep. Or try to.”

Hux went into the tent, but he at least left his pack outside so Kylo was able to grab his own bar, which he ate quickly and washed down with a half bottle of water. He was tempted to drink the entire thing, just as Hux had, but if it took longer than expected at the temple, Kylo didn’t want to waste time trying to find a source of water.

He picked up both of their packs and headed into the tent. Hux was laying down, looking very uncomfortable. In the interest of bringing more of the critical supplies, Kylo hadn’t packed sleeping bags or pillows, only two light blankets. He took one out and put it over Hux, who frowned and then he settled down next to him. At least the First Order thought to put some padding at the bottom of their tents. It wasn’t the most comfortable place to sleep, but Kylo had slept in worse. 

Hux probably wouldn’t be used to such conditions. Kylo almost suggested what might be more comfortable sleeping conditions, but then decided against it. He wasn’t the one who was going to have a problem. If Hux wanted anything to change, he could ask. But as it grew darker outside, it was also becoming much colder.

“Hey, Hux,” Kylo said.

“What?” It was dark in the tent, but Kylo could hear Hux shifting on the other side of the tent.

“It’s going to get colder.”

“No.”

“It is.”

“I know that. But I know what you’re going to say, and the answer is no. I’m not going to cuddle with you for warmth.”

“I don’t want to cuddle.” Kylo thought of a better way to phrase it. Or at least a way to talk him into it. “We’ve done quite a bit more than touch each other. I’m just thinking that we should sleep close enough to each other that we can share blankets. It’ll keep both of us warmer.”

“Is that what this is about? Is that why I’m here?” Kylo heard Hux moving again and was pretty sure he was sitting up, so he did the same. It was awkward not being able to see him, but the only light source he had was his lightsaber.

“What?” Kylo didn’t know what he was talking about. 

“This is about the fact I stopped sleeping with you, isn’t it?”

“No.” Once Hux said it, Kylo realized that was at least partially true. Ever since becoming the Supreme Leader, things had been different between them. They’d had never really liked each other but they tolerated each other and had sex frequently. Once Kylo had replaced Snoke, Hux had hardly spoken to him unless he had to. It made sense why Kylo had been so eager to order Hux to accompany him.

“Then why won’t you tell me why I’m here?”

“Forget it. If you want to spend the night being cold, then that’s fine with me. Just thought I’d offer.”

He laid back down, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep but he couldn’t stop thinking about Hux’s accusation. He hadn’t even thought about wanting to rekindle their relationship when he ordered Hux along, but he had wanted his company. Kylo had missed Hux, which was odd, as he saw him every day. But it had been so different since Snoke’s death. And Kylo knew that it was mostly his fault.

Kylo was still awake when he heard Hux stir and softly call his name. He didn’t respond, because he really didn’t want to talk to him. Most conversations with Hux led to an argument, and he wanted to sleep. The most he might get was just pretending to sleep, but it was better than nothing.

He listened to Hux as he continued to move around, and although he was curious about what he was doing, he didn’t ask. To his surprise, he felt Hux moving his blanket and crawling underneath with him. He had to fight the urge to put his arms around Hux, as he was sure that would only lead to Hux moving back across the tent. Then Hux surprised him further by putting his head on his chest and Kylo couldn’t help but smile.

He really had missed Hux.

When Kylo woke up in the morning, Hux was gone. He was saddened by his absence, but he wasn’t surprised at all. He looked to the side and saw that Hux wasn’t in the tent at all. He jumped up, alarmed, but then he noticed both of their packs were still inside. Maybe he was just outside.

He opened up the tent and stuck his head out, glancing around for him but he didn’t see him. “Hux?”

There was no response and Kylo sat down inside the tent, wondering if he needed to worry when he heard Hux shouting. He pulled his lightsaber to his hand with the Force and ran out of the tent, not even stopping to put on his boots. He ran towards the sounds of Hux and when he saw the creature in front of him, he ignited his lightsaber.

The creature was large, nearly twice Kylo’s height and it was longer than it was tall. It was covered in slime and had a large, spiked shell on its back. That might have been easy enough to deal with, but the creature also had four tentacles coming out from inside the shell and had pincers on what Kylo assumed was its face and what looked like a very sharp beak.

Kylo charged forward and slashed at the creature, but his lightsaber hardly seemed to scratch the slimy body. It clearly noticed because one of the tentacles took his legs out from under him. He jumped to his feet quickly and tried to hit one of the tentacles with his saber, but it withdrew into the shell before the blade could make contact.

The creature seemed to identify him as the bigger threat, because it was focused on him, trying to hit him with a tentacle and then pulling away before Kylo could hit it back. At least Kylo was managing to avoid the tentacles for the most part. But Kylo had no idea how long the creature would fight him and he really didn’t want to engage in a test of endurance with it.

As Kylo was trying to come up with a better plan to deal with it, he noticed Hux sneaking up on it, knife in hand. He tried not to look at him. He couldn’t tell if the creature had eyes nor did he know how intelligent it was, but he didn’t want to give Hux away. He only knew that Hux’s attack had been successful because the creature finally turned around and faced Hux, and followed him when Hux ran to join him. That’s when Kylo saw that one of the tentacles was dangling uselessly by its side, partially cut off.

“We need to take out those tentacles,” Hux said.

“Obviously.”

“Well, given your lack of progress on that, I assumed it hadn’t occurred to you.”

“Maybe we should argue later?” Right as he spoke he shoved Hux away from another attack by the creature. Now it seemed focused on Hux, and that gave Kylo the opportunity to strike at another tentacle while it had its attention elsewhere. With his lightsaber, he managed to completely sever it, which left the creature with two functional tentacles. 

Kylo had gone in close, wanting to cut it off as close as he could to the base in case a partial tentacle was of use to the creature. Unfortunately, this gave him less room to maneuver when the creature counterattacked. And getting hit with the thicker part of the tentacle packed much more of a punch, sending Kylo flying. 

He was slow to get up and when he did, he found that his lightsaber had been separated from him. A quick glance around didn’t reveal its location and since Hux was currently doing battle with the wild animal, he didn’t have time to look for it. Instead, he ran towards it, once again going in close and kicking it in the shell. That did nothing, but he did notice a small tail sticking out from under the shell so he stomped on it as hard as he could. As expected, it turned on him.

Kylo knew he was about to take another hit from one of the remaining tentacles, but he was prepared and held them with the Force. He should have thought of that earlier, but it was much harder than it should have been. He only held the tentacles, and the rest of the creature was thrashing around. He knew he couldn’t hold it much longer. 

“Hux, if you’re going to do something, hurry!”

Almost as soon as he spoke, he heard his lightsaber being powered on and then saw Hux charging forward, and he removed the last two tentacles. Kylo expected it to be easy to defeat now that its main weapons were gone, but instead of continuing the fight, it tucked it’s body inside its shell.

“Guess that’s over,” Kylo said, walking over to join Hux.

“No,” Hux said, walking over to it with the lightsaber still in hand. He shoved the blade through the shell, presumably killing the creature inside. Once that was done, he powered off the weapon and handed it back to Kylo. “You’re not wearing boots.”

“Next time you call for help, I’ll be sure to take the time to make sure my appearance is up to your standards.” He started heading back to the tent. On the way over and during the fight, he had more important things to worry about than the rocks under his feet, but they suddenly felt especially sharp.

“It didn’t bite you, did it? Break the skin in any way?”

“No. Why?”

“First Order protocol with unknown wildlife is to assume it is venomous, poisonous, and carrying disease. Any wounds that break the skin require immediate care. We’ll both need an infectious disease screen when we return. You should know this.”

“I don’t usually tangle with wildlife,” Kylo said. “And I’ve never read any of the protocols.”

“And yet you’re the Supreme Leader.”

“That’s right. I am.” He used the Force to brush against Hux’s throat, a reminder of what he could do. That seemed to do the trick, as Hux remained silent as they returned to the campsite and prepared to leave for the day.

As Kylo searched for the temple entrance, Hux remained silent. It was strange having him be so quiet and Kylo knew he probably shouldn’t have made that threat. He could apologize, but he didn’t think Hux would accept it. And he shouldn’t even care what Hux thought about that. He’d often thought that he needed to learn his place. So why did he feel so terrible?

He didn’t have too much time to concern himself with that, as he found something that was obviously non-natural. It looked like a large disc made of rock sitting on the ground with some kind of symbols carved into it. It was very old and the symbols were weathered with age and Kylo couldn’t even begin to guess what it might have said, although he thought it looked like some form of Ancient Sith.

They were nearly on the top of the mountain, which led Kylo to believe the temple itself was underneath their feet. He sat down on the edge of the stone circle and reached out with the Force. Very quickly, the answer came to him. The circle wasn’t just a marker. It was the entrance itself. One that would take a Force user or heavy equipment to move.

It was heavy, and the plant growth that had started to grow on the edges and further anchor it to the ground were not helping, but Kylo managed to move the stone, revealing a dark cavern underneath. He peered down the hole, but couldn’t see anything besides an old ladder on the side.

“I’ll go first,” Kylo said, turning around to back into the entrance. “I’ll call up to you when I reach the bottom and you can come down.”

“What if it’s not safe?”

“If I fall, I can catch myself with the Force. And if you fall, you’d better hope I catch you.”

He didn’t wait for a response and headed down the ladder. As soon as he reached the bottom, faint lights turned on and he pulled his lightsaber from his belt, ready to fight, but there was no one there. Just an automated system. He told Hux to join him and soon, they both stood in the large room.

Besides the lights, there was very little in the room. There were some drawings and inscriptions on the wall and the entrances for hallways. Kylo didn’t pay much attention to any of that because he could sense what he came for was near and he could feel that it was straight ahead, beyond the door in the wall. He walked over to it, but there was no handle. 

He wasn’t surprised that the builders of the temple would put it behind a door that required the Force to open, although it seemed pointless since they would have needed the Force to get in the temple itself and the door couldn’t be any more difficult to move than the stone on the entrance. But when Kylo tried, he found that it didn’t budge.

He ran his hand across the edges of the door, wondering if there was some other trick he was missing, but there didn’t seem to be anything. His second attempt with the Force was no more successful than his first. There could have been some hidden switch, but since he had no idea where it might be, he couldn’t simply trip it. Instead, he lashed out with the Force, and if there was something that could move, he should have moved it, but the door remained sealed.

“What’s happening?” Hux asked. 

“I can’t open it,” Kylo said, shaking his head. “There’s some kind of trick keeping me out.”

"But let me guess. That doesn't mean we can leave."

Kylo shook his head. "Let me concentrate,” he said.

"Too bad we can't read that,” Hux said pointing to some writing over the door. Kylo hadn’t noticed it.

“I can read that.”

“What does it say?”

“Fyaini ina kriilon ekara tunalei korini,” Kylo read. “And if you want me to translate it, you’ll need to shut up so I can think.”

He’d learned the basics of many ancient languages common with dark side users, but because he rarely had to use those skills, he found that he was having trouble making an accurate translation. The individual words he knew, but he couldn’t make sense of them together.

“I think it says something along the lines of needing emotion to enter.”

“If that were the case, the door should have opened for you as soon as you walked in.”

“It needs to be a powerful emotion,” Kylo said. Even so, he knew he shouldn’t have trouble opening the door. He took all the rage and hatred that burned like a fire within him and focused it on the door. He thought about Snoke, Luke, that scavenger girl, all those ghosts of his past. Even with all that anger, the door didn’t budge.

Exhausted, Kylo sat down on the floor. Perhaps meditation would help make things clear. Somehow, he was going to open that door.

“Why don’t you use your lightsaber and just cut a hole in the door?”

“You’re welcome to try,” Kylo said. He didn’t pay much attention to Hux, focusing instead on the door and the words above it. There was something he was missing. He could see Hux with his lightsaber at the door, but didn’t think much about him until he threw the weapon down next to him.

“It’s broken,” he said. “I shouldn’t be surprised that something you built is so unstable.”

“It’s not broken,” Kylo said, looking at his saber. “The builders of this temple built this room to keep people out. They obviously planned for people with lightsabers. There’s cortosis in the door. A lightsaber can’t cut through it.”

“Who were they trying to keep out?”

“Does it matter?”

“If you know who they were guarding against, it may tell us what sort of safeguards they used. So what do we know about this door and who built it?”

“I don’t think logic is going to help us out here, Hux.”

“Humor me. Tell me what we know and then I’ll shut up so you can think at it.”

Kylo sighed. It was a waste of time but if it meant Hux would be quiet so he could focus, then it just might be worth the trouble. Knowing Hux would want every last detail, he started with the basics, hoping to get it over with quickly.

“It’s a Sith temple. Or at least a dark sider’s temple.” Now that he thought about it, nothing seemed particularly Sith about it. Only the Ancient Sith writing on the entrance stone, but he couldn’t even be sure that was what the writing was. “You need the Force to get in, but that was just a simple lift. Anyone could get in. But this door has some other mechanism. It must be able to detect what kind of emotion the user is drawing on. I think that’s what the writing says. It needs to be the right kind of emotion.”

It would be a strange way to use that particular word, Kylo thought, but given that the language had been dead for over a thousand years, perhaps he really didn’t know how some of the words worked. But at least talking to Hux gave him an idea. If anger and hate didn’t open the door maybe something else would.

“Why put it behind such a secure door?” Hux asked. “Was it to keep out Jedi?”

“Probably,” Kylo said. “If it’s as powerful as it’s supposed to be, they wouldn’t want it to fall in anyone else’s hands. Jedi or otherwise. But a Jedi probably never would have mustered up enough emotion to get through the door in the first place.”

“So needing the right emotion then is to keep someone else out.”

Kylo nodded, but didn’t say anything else. Talking it over with Hux had actually been helpful. Now if he could figure out what kind of emotion would open the door, then they could get out of there. And the answer was rather obvious since Hux had pointed it out. The temple builders were trying to keep out other dark siders. So of course anger wouldn’t open the door. And suddenly, Kylo knew.

“Hux,” he said. “Come here.”

Hux had been pacing around near the door and he hesitated before complying. He stood in front of Kylo and looked down at him. Kylo knew Hux wasn’t going to like what he had to do, but he had to hope that he wanted to get out of the temple as soon as possible. 

“I need you to kiss me.”

“Why would I do that?”

“To open the door.”

“You think this door operates based on kissing?”

“No,” Kylo said. “The emotional aspect. If you kiss me, I think I can fake the emotion just enough to get the door open and we can leave.”

“This is part of your scheme, isn’t it?”

“Hux, you can either get down here and kiss me or we can sit here at this door until we run out of supplies. Your choice.”

For a moment, Kylo thought he would actually refuse, but then he crouched down in front of him and reached up to stroke the side of his face. Kylo nearly jumped at the touch, not expecting Hux to be so gentle.

“If this is some kind of elaborate trick,” he said, “I will never speak to you again. I’ll leave the Order and we’ll just see how much of the Order goes with me.”

“It’s not a trick,” Kylo promised. If the door didn’t open, he knew he would have no way to prove that to him. There was no time to think about that because Hux’s lips were on his and Kylo put his arms around him, dragging him into his lap.

For a while, Kylo could almost believe things were just like they used to be between them, both of them desperate for the other. But when Kylo started to undo his shirt, Hux pulled away from him, placing his hands on top of Kylo’s to stop him.

“What are you doing? You just said to kiss you.”

“I want to touch you,” Kylo said. “Just let me take your shirt off.”

“Nothing else,” Hux said. Kylo nodded and then Hux was helping him take his shirt off and as soon as his chest was bared, Kylo couldn’t help but running his hands over his skin. It was just as he remembered. Such soft, delicate skin had always seemed so out of place on a man like Hux. But Kylo couldn’t complain, loving the way he felt under his hands.

They continued to kiss and before long, Kylo couldn’t be satisfied with just Hux’s lips and started kissing his way down his neck. One arm was wrapped around him while the other worked its way between them so Kylo could run a thumb over one of Hux’s nipples. He twitched, clearly still as sensitive there as always. Kylo smiled as he kissed as far down on Hux’s body as he could in their current position.

Needing more, Kylo moved to lay Hux down on his back and continued kissing him, finally getting his mouth to exactly where he wanted it. As he licked across Hux’s nipple, Hux let out a slight moan. Clearly, he was trying to hold back.

“How much longer until the door opens?” Hux asked.

“Stop complaining,” Kylo said. “I know you’re enjoying this.”

“Regardless, I’m only doing this to get that door open.”

“I just need a little more,” Kylo said, lifting his head to look at Hux. “It needs to be a little more real. Think you could touch me or something?”

“I suppose,” Hux said and soon, he had one hand going through his hair and another on his shoulder. “How’s that?”

“It’s a start,” Kylo said as he resumed giving his nipples the attention they deserved. He could feel just how aroused Hux was and couldn’t help but rub his own erection against him.

“No,” Hux said. “We’re not fucking.”

“Wasn’t going to ask.” He knew Hux would never go for that. “Just trying to give you a little relief.”

“Focus on the door.”

“I am.” 

Kylo started moving a little lower on Hux until he finally was kissing his stomach just above his belly button. He’d missed how soft he was there. It was so different from how bony he was everywhere else. When they’d been together, it was one of Kylo’s favorite places to touch, kiss, lick. And knowing it might be his last chance, he couldn’t help but nuzzle his stomach.

“Kylo,” Hux breathed out. He so rarely used his name and it caught him off guard. He stopped, looking up in surprise at Hux. “Don’t stop.”

Kylo couldn’t help but smile as he returned his attention back to the areas of Hux’s body he loved so much. If he was honest with himself, he loved every part of Hux. And he knew that’s exactly how he felt about the man himself. He loved Hux.

Without warning, the door opened with a loud click. Kylo looked up and saw that the door had sunk into the wall and with a slight push from the Force, it was out of their way, finally revealing the small room on the other side.

“Get off of me,” Hux said, pushing against him. As Kylo started to get up, Hux wiggled out from underneath him, apparently unable to get away fast enough. Strange, since Kylo thought he’d really enjoyed what they were doing.

He still had an erection, but he couldn’t take care of it at the moment. Now that the door was open, they could finally get what they came for. The room was not overly large - maybe about the size of his quarters on the Finalizer, although it was strangely empty.

“All that for nothing?” Hux said from behind him.

“No. There’s something here.” He could sense that what they came for was nearby and he scanned the shelves lining the wall. The room had seemingly been emptied, or perhaps it had never been filled. It wasn’t much concern why it was nearly empty. What was important was the one object that Kylo spied sitting on the top of a shelf. 

He pulled the object down from the shelf with the Force and as it flew into his hand, he saw it was a dust-covered book. He brushed the dust off the front and spine, but there was nothing that gave away what the book might contain. 

“We came here for a book?” Hux asked, incredulous.

“Maybe.” Kylo looked it over, wondering if maybe it held powerful secrets. He really didn’t know what he expected, but a book did make more sense than some kind of weapon that would allow him to conquer the galaxy. He opened it to a random page but didn’t bother to try translating anything on it. There would be time for that later.

“We should look around and make sure there’s nothing else here,” Kylo said, closing the book and putting it in his pack. Even as he said that, he knew there was nothing else in the room.

“I can’t believe we came here for a book,” Hux grumbled as they finally headed back to the temple entrance. As they had searched the room, Kylo suggested they spend the night inside the temple itself. They’d already used up most of the day and wouldn’t make it back to the shuttle before night. Hux agreed, surprisingly without argument. “All that effort for a useless relic.”

“It may contain valuable information,” Kylo suggested. He set his pack down on the ground and carefully took out two water bottles as well as the tent. Even though they would be inside the temple, Kylo still wanted to use the tent for both the padding on the bottom and the insulation it provided.

“Anything recorded in a book is too old to be valuable,” Hux said as he took the offered water bottle.

“Not when it comes to the Force.” 

Hux didn’t argue that point and they didn’t speak much at all as they ate their dinner and got ready for bed. It wasn’t until they were both in the tent - under separate blankets - that Hux finally got talkative again.

“I suppose there’s a lot about the Force I don’t understand.”

“That’s true.” Kylo turned to face Hux, who was on his side, watching him.

Hux was silent for another few moments, long enough for Kylo to think that was the end of that conversation. But then he spoke again. “How exactly did that door work?”

“I’m not sure I can explain it to you.” He didn’t know if he understood himself, but he knew Hux would want something. “It was somehow able to detect emotions through the Force. And it needed the right one to work as a key.”

“Right.” He was silent once again for a few moments. “What emotion was it exactly that required me to kiss you?”

Kylo turned, not wanting to look at Hux. He considered lying, but he knew he wasn’t that good of a liar. Hux would know and he would demand the truth. “It wasn’t real,” he said. “I managed to trick the door. It’s easy to imagine things when we’re kissing. It was enough to get the door open.”

“What was it?”

“If they wanted to keep out other dark siders, it had to be something difficult for many of them to feel. It was the only way.”

“Kylo,” Hux said, speaking softly. “Tell me what it was.”

He didn’t want to admit it, but Hux wasn’t going to let it go. He closed his eyes, wanting to pretend that Hux wasn’t even there. Not that it helped since he wasn’t facing him to begin with and he could still feel his presence in the Force.

“Love,” he finally said.

He wasn’t sure if Hux would leave or start yelling at him, but he expected him to do one of those two things. He hadn’t thought he’d sit there in silence and he definitely was not expecting the gentle hand on his back. It sent a shudder through his body.

“Do you… love me?”

“No,” Kylo lied.

“I see.” Hux withdrew his hand and Kylo thought he almost sounded disappointed. Which didn’t make sense. He rolled back over to face him, reaching out with the Force. He did feel a little bit sadder than usual.

“Hux? That wasn’t what you wanted me to say, was it?”

“I wanted the truth. I just thought… never mind.”

“What?”

“I thought that maybe if you did feel something for me, maybe there was some hope for us. But that’s a stupid idea. I knew it was over between us in the throne room, but today made me wish things could be different.”

Kylo felt like he’d just been punched in the gut. He would have preferred that to Hux’s cold declaration that everything between them was over. If only he had told him the truth. Even knowing that’s what Hux wanted, he found it hard to say the words.

“Hux, I…” He wanted to tell him that he loved him, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud. “I lied. When you asked me if I loved you.”

Neither of them spoke and Kylo was very tempted to try reading Hux’s mind. He wanted to know what he was thinking, if he’d just made a bigger mistake. Or maybe Hux was happy to hear that. 

“I need you to actually say it,” he said eventually.

“Why?”

“If you really mean it, you can say it.”

“Hux,” he started to say, closing his eyes before continuing. He’d faced countless enemies in battle and emerged victorious even when the odds were against him. He’d been shot, stabbed, slashed across his face and sustained injuries that would have killed a lesser man, but speaking his next words to Hux was the most terrifying thing he could remember. “I love you.”

He felt a hand on his face and he opened his eyes. Despite the gentle touch, Hux did not look happy. But Kylo didn’t move or say anything, because Hux was stroking his cheek and he didn’t want him to stop.

“I used to think that I might love you too,” Hux said. “But you hurt me.”

“I know,” he said closing his eyes again.

“I don’t trust you.”

“I know.”

“You don’t deserve a second chance.”

“I know.” He knew there was no excuse for what he’d done to Hux, so he didn’t bother trying to explain why he’d lashed out at him. He still had no idea what Hux wanted - to get back together or make it clear they would never be together again - but he felt like speaking would not help at the moment.

“We’ll need to start over,” Hux said. “No sex. And it might be a long time before I’m ready. I also want it to be clear that in the relationship, I am the one in charge. Understand?”

Kylo opened his eyes, not quite believing what he was hearing. He’d hoped that Hux would forgive him or at least give him another chance, but he was not prepared for that to actually happen. It took him several moments to remember that Hux had asked him a question, and he nodded in agreement.

“Yes,” he said. “I’ll do anything you want, Hux. I want -”

“I know you will,” he said. “If you hurt me or even make me feel unsafe, it’s over. And you will not get a third chance.”

“I promise Hux. I won’t hurt you.”

“We’ll see.” 

Kylo should have known his promises would mean nothing to Hux. But he would show Hux that he meant it. And he didn’t care how long it took. Hux finally pulled his hand away from his face. Kylo desperately wanted to reach over and touch him as well, but he wasn’t sure how Hux would react and he wasn’t about to ruin things so soon.

It didn’t take long for Hux to scoot over to him, and just like the night before, he put his head on him, using him as a pillow. Kylo smiled and slowly brought and arm up to wrap around him. He barely touched him at first, giving Hux a chance to tell him no, but he only sighed in contentment as Kylo brought the weight of his arm around his body.

As he fell asleep wit Hux in his arms for the first time in months, Kylo realized that they may have gotten exactly what he’d come to the temple for. With the two of them leading the First Order united, they would be unstoppable. They didn’t need any special weapons or ancient secrets, only each other.


End file.
